Chapter 110: 111 Pleasant Cooperation

Chapter 110: 111. A Pleasure Doing Business

More than an hour later, Ronin and his companions made their return to the Wushan Fortress.

Rulance and the others, who had been deep in some unknown discussion, all shifted their gazes toward the curved-shaft plow that had been carried back and stripped of its wrapping; the design of this plow was entirely distinct from those employed across the various manors, giving an immediate impression of being lighter and far more nimble.

At this moment, soil still clung to the plowshare, a clear indication that it had just been put to use.

Rulance turned his gaze toward Albert, who, from the moment they crossed into the fortress, carried the look of a man with something burning to say.

"Speak, Chief Officer."

Albert spoke with a touch of excitement, "My Lord Marquis, the Baron who invented this curved-shaft plow is a true genius! I never imagined a single plow could bring about such a monumental change to the way peasants till the earth!"

The Chief Officer excitedly extended three fingers.

"First, it is light and agile, requiring but a single soul and a solitary ox to operate to perfection!"

"Secondly, it allows for the adjustment of the tilling depth to adapt to all manner of terrain—heavens, this capability fills me with wondrous amazement!"

Albert wore an expression of grand exaggeration, "Most vital of all, it is capable of deep tilling, turning the soil completely over, which will be of immense benefit in raising grain yields!"

"My Lord Marquis, Sir Toru, our lands and manors stand in dire need of such a plow!"

"With it, the hardship of reclaiming fields will dwindle, grain production will rise, and the value it yields will be staggering!"

The onlookers exchanged glances, murmuring in their hearts whether this Chief Officer was overacting his part; though this matter was spearheaded by the Lord Marquis himself, surely there was no call for such dramatic flair?

"Is it truly so remarkable?"

"It truly is that remarkable!"

Curry, the Financial Officer, chimed in agreement; had the transaction not involved the treasury, he would never have tagged along, and thus would have missed the very demonstration of the curved-shaft plow.

"The men Albert gathered were all seasoned hands at the plow. Once they grew familiar with the mechanics of the curved-shaft plow, they all arrived at these very conclusions."

The crowd looked upon Ronin in astonishment, only to find the young man shrugging his shoulders, his posture suggesting that the facts spoke plainly for themselves.

Toru crouched beside the curved-shaft plow to inspect it; though he had yet to attain the rank of baron, he possessed several sizable manors in the outer lands, and land reclamation was indeed a thorn in his side.

"Baron, how do you intend to sell this contraption? Put me down for a hundred right away!"

Albert, the Chief Officer, turned to offer Rulance a suggestion: "My Lord, if the need arises, we could place an initial order for a thousand!"

Rulance gave a slow nod.

In truth, he held little personal interest in such matters, yet he well understood the profound gravity that arable land and grain held for a ruler.

Both the Chief Officer and the Financial Officer were trusted veterans of many years; since they both deemed it useful, it could hardly be amiss, so he would purchase a batch.

Seeing Rulance's assent, Albert turned immediately to Ronin and said, "Baron, we shall require one thousand plows, ideally delivered before the spring tilling commences!"

Ronin could not help but let slip a helpless smile.

"Gentlemen, you seem to have forgotten that I am but a minor lord ruling over a remote fringe. I possess neither the hands nor the iron ore required to manufacture so vast a number of curved-shaft plows; moreover, what we produce is scarcely enough to satisfy the needs of Mountain Forest Town, so how could there possibly be any surplus plows to offer for sale?"

The company fell momentarily silent, only then recollecting the modest state of Ronin's domain.

Albert inquired, "Then what do you propose?"

"I can sell you the schematic blueprints for the curved-shaft plow, while providing you with the necessary technical guidance."

Ronin laid out the strategy he had devised, "You may dispatch your carpenters and blacksmiths to my territory to observe and learn, and I shall have my own craftsmen instruct them on how to forge it."

"Naturally, if your craftsmen are clever enough, they might well replicate it entirely just by studying the blueprints."

While the curved-shaft plow was advanced, it did not possess any insurmountable technical barriers.

Ronin knew that once he sold even a single one, it would not be long before imitations sprouted up everywhere; when that time came, any further sales would yield nothing more than a meager pittance above the cost of production.

Furthermore, he spoke the unvarnished truth; Mountain Forest Town simply lacked the capacity to yield such numbers.

Curry, the Financial Officer, caught the distinct scent of coin. "You mean to sell this invention outright to Wushan Castle?"

"Indeed, a one-time buyout to be funded by Wushan Castle."

Ronin smiled, "As for how you choose to operate thereafter, Master Curry, that remains your own affair and matters little to me."

Curry's eyes gleamed with sudden light as he pressed further, "Then at what price do you intend to part with this curved-shaft plow?"

Ronin held up three fingers: "Three thousand gold coins!"

A sharp intake of breath echoed through the room.

At the mention of this sum, every head turned in stark disbelief.

This was no mere thirty gold coins, nor even three hundred, but three thousand gold pieces!

"This... this is far too exorbitant!"

Galier uttered in shock; among this gathering, he was the one who had laid eyes on the least wealth (discounting Ronin and his retainers).

Even Rulance could not help but twitch an eyebrow; such a fortune was sufficient to secure ten warhorses of the finest pedigree.

Ronin, however, merely smiled, "I am confident that with the resourcefulness of Wushan Castle's Financial Officer, recouping these three thousand gold coins will prove no arduous task."

For Ronin, amassing wealth through a slow, trickling stream was far too tedious.

Mountain Forest Town possessed no merchant fleets, and it was out of the question for him to travel from one noble estate to another like a common peddler to hawk and advertise his wares.

Hence, he opted for the outright buyout.

Wushan Castle, unlike him, possessed a fully staffed treasury, merchant caravans, and agents; they could market it to every lord across the land before the curved-shaft plow could widely proliferate.

Even if they priced it at three hundred gold pieces per lord, they would recover their investment if a mere ten lords agreed to the purchase.

To be sure, not every lord would be willing to part with such a sum, nor did every domain possess the iron mines and blacksmiths required to forge them independently.

Consequently, those lords would have to purchase the finished plows from external sources; as for how to set the price at that juncture, it was no longer a concern for Ronin to fret over.

Yet, Ronin harbored no fear that he would find himself without a market should he wish to sell plows in the future.

He was confident that through a sufficient regime of experimentation and trial, he could replicate the technology of blast-furnace ironmaking; when that day arrived, casting agricultural implements from pig iron and pairing it with decarburization softening techniques would allow for the rapid mass-production of plowshares, drastically slashing the manufacturing costs of the curved-shaft plow.

At that point, the curved-shaft plow introduced by Ronin would undeniably capture the market with its unbeatable, lower pricing.

Curry, the Financial Officer, stole a quick glance at Rulance, and upon seeing that the latter offered no sign of dissent, he offered a slight, courteous bow to Ronin and spoke with practiced humility:

"You flatter me, Your Excellency. We can assent to the price you have proposed."

Toru brushed the soil he had just scraped from the plowshare from his palms, fixing the Financial Officer with a highly guarded stare, "And what of me then? Curry, you wouldn't dream of selling this technology to me for three thousand gold coins, would you?"

"Haha, naturally not..."

Curry laughed smoothly, "Should Sir Toru have need of it, you may purchase the finished implements directly from Wushan Castle, and we shall extend a most favorable discount to you. However, before I have successfully marketed the curved-shaft plow to the other nobles, I must ask that everyone present keep this matter strictly confidential."

He shifted his gaze toward Ronin; the reports he had gathered regarding this particular baron consisted mostly of unfavorable rumors, and he harbored some anxiety that the youth might sell the design twice.

"That goes without saying; you have my word and my honor!"

At that moment, Galier stepped forward, "Just now, I conferred with the Lord Marquis and my father. We shall require one hundred and twenty ironwood shields, two hundred ironwood spears, fifty ironwood breastplates, and thirty sets of ironwood lamellar armor; upon our return today, Dawson the quartermaster will formally submit our requisition."

From the numbers alone, Ronin could discern that this was intended to outfit a standard knightly squad; though the quantity seemed substantial, a careful calculation revealed it was not enough to equip every single man.

In all likelihood, Galier intended these provisions primarily for the squires, retainers, and foot soldiers; the true knights would at most make use of the ironwood lamellar armor, holding little need for the rest.

"A pleasure doing business with you!"

Ronin stepped forward with a genuine smile, extending his hand to grasp the other man's, "I am certain this consignment will not disappoint you."

This trip to Wushan Fortress has been immensely fruitful.

For Luo Ning, the orders are now secured; what follows is the daunting task of figuring out how to fulfill them.

At present, the Ironwood Workshop has only two carpenters—William and Murtah—and not even a handful of apprentices have been hired. To complete this order in a short time is not merely difficult—it is extraordinarily so.

Rulans’s voice interrupted Luo Ning’s brooding. “Luo Ning, Wushan Fortress is still quite distant from Mountain Forest Town. If you have more goods to sell, you might visit Marwen, the Viscount of Pasture City.”

“The Ironhoof family’s caravans span the entire Wushan Domain and most cities of the kingdom. If your prices are fair, I’m certain Marwen will be interested.”

“I understand!”

Luo Ning nodded slowly, lost in thought.

“My lord!”

The treasurer, Kuli, spoke up. “Though Mountain Forest Town lies far, with the speed of messenger birds, it’s only a day’s journey. If you have more such business, you could send word via bird. I am willing to lead a party personally to Mountain Forest Town to negotiate.”

“Hahahaha!”

Rulans laughed. “You old devil, you’re still the same—sniff out a whiff of gold, and you’re off like a hound.”

Kuli chuckled. Why shouldn’t he profit from the riches of Pasture City?

Besides, the old marquis hadn’t been subtly urging Luo Ning to seek partnership with Viscount Marwen—that was not his intent at all.

Thus, Kuli’s words carried a double meaning.

“But speaking of messenger birds, you’ve reminded me.”

Rulans turned back to Luo Ning with a smile. “When you return, have the bird-tamers of Wushan Fortress accompany you to Mountain Forest Town and establish a bird route between the two. Otherwise, I’d have to send letters to you through Pasture City.”

Luo Ning’s eyes lit up. That was excellent.

After slaying Prinster, he had feared Sein’s forces might launch a surprise attack—and at the time, he’d wished desperately for messenger birds. A swift means of communication would serve as a deterrent to Lord Raisen.

“Then, thank you, Grandfather!”

Gratitude to Elder Xiao Xiao Cao for the gift~

Gratitude to all esteemed patrons for your votes~~~

(End of Chapter)